Skylos
in the wild and cold winds of the north the floating cities of Skylos soar through the air thousands of feet above the icy ground of the Northerlands. populated by the Aeldari sky elves, and the air Genaasi living in a tenuous world that tries to revive the forbidden past secrets of the old world. with limited resources and threat of overpopulation never far away, the people of Skylos turn their minds towards research and magic, creating ships that sail through the sky and devices that can teleport mass amounts of goods to other cities. with a focus on the pursuit of peace and knowledge the nation of Skylos is full of intellectuals and investigators that are never more than two steps away from a good secret.
Structure
Skylos is lead by a ruling council of elders who live in the highest city of the chains. they are chosen based on their likability and their expertise in a certain subject. as all members of Skylos seek knowledge and research over the course of their lives their leaders would be people who are masters in the field that they have devoted their lives to. there are six elders at any given time, when one dies another is chosen almost instantly to keep the different factions from collapsing into chaos with each other. each elder represents a certain caste of the civilization and makes sure that their wants and needs are seen to in their daily council meetings with the other representatives. the elder positions are as follows
- Elder of Swords: the elder who sees to the needs of the warriors and the defense of Skylos
- Elder of Spells: the elder who undertakes the wants and needs of the mages and wizards
- Elder of the Forge: the elder who sees to the needs of the craftsmen and women
- Elder of the Stage: the elder who handles the performers and the entertainment of Skylos
- Elder of the Seed: the elder who handles farmers and the harvest
- Elder of the Sacred: this elder monitors and ensures that the people are able to worship as they want
Culture
the Skylian culture hinges on duty and respect for one's purpose, they follow the path which guides them towards the greater good for all peoples. they are proud peoples who focus on civic duty and responsibility to their country. this makes for a culture that focuses on dedication, responsibility, and hard work.
Public Agenda
the Theocracy of Skylos is a nation of research and intense theological contemplation and philosophy. the people of Skylos seek to find the truths of the world and return the world to its previous state of technological advancement and sophistication. they seek to do this through tireless devotion of research and study to various phenomena and relics that can be found in the world. to this end when every Skylian is born they are assigned a subject to research by their parents or guardian which they will pursue throughout their entire life and hopefully bring Skylos one small step closer to discovering the truth through their dedication and conviction in the face of the path. and it is determined that all Skylians must follow the path as it is the only way that civilization will advance in any portion. any member of the society that does not adhere to the path is shunned and discriminated against by their peers, and it will be thought that exile is not far off
Assets
Skylos is a less wealthy kingdom but they are very technologically and magically advanced. almost the entire populace live in the floating cities in the North East of the near shore and travel around using magical airships and teleportation to get them from place to place. however due to farming limitations and the strain of trade with the lower cities Skylos is very weak compared to other civilizations. with only around 450,000 GP to spend at any moment the cities usually have a population of less than 10,000 and have to severely limit immigration and population due to the limited land and limited food production space. their military is comprised of a few rapid response units that base themselves on airships or in coalition with village militia below the cities themselves. these troops usually have little to no combat experience but are highly trained throughout their entire lives to be warriors. they have a single floating fortress named Ghil-Ghalad but it does not serve much functional purpose.
History
the nation of Skylos was established in P.C 130 when an Aeldari Sky ship (Cradle of Dawn) crashed into the North Eastern corner of the Near Shore. (the cradle of dawn was fleeing the forces of Legio Vulcanus when a bad warp jump caused them to get lost in the depths of Astral Space where the Aeldari would spend 700 years while waiting in stasis to hopefully be brought back into the material plain) the Aeldari Occupants had been asleep in stasis and few survived the crash, but those who did found themselves lifted into the sky when the ships gravity well generator began lifting chunks of the earth itself into the sky with them and pieces of their broken ship. the Aeldari found themselves in a strange place in a terrible situation, the rise was so sudden that the Aeldaari were not able to make enough food to sustain their entire population and many of the elders of the civilization died along with over 60% of the overall populace. leaving very few to continue on. continuing through the years the Aeldari made a tenuous Alliance with the Genasi and started the Nation of Skylos where the aeldari and the air ganasi would live in the sky. they vowed to bring back the old age and the prosperity of their race before the crash. they believed that everything happened for a reason. and so started the faith of the path. they live disconnected from the rest of the world conducting their research and attempting to revive the previous eras.
Demography and Population
the only race that lives in Skylos is Aeldari, no other race is allowed to settle in the cities due to their limited capacity and production. other races are allowed to visit with special permission visa given by the high council. the only other race that lives in the sky cities is Air Genasi who work the industrial portion of the cities and the unskilled labor jobs.
Territories
Skylos occupies the sky above the main continent and normally hangs over the plains to the east of the windbreaker mountains with their shackle anchors. they have little to do with the population on the ground but occasionally deploy a small guard force to defend the anchors from attack or infiltration.
Military
the military of Skylos is organized into skilled raider cohorts which are normally comprised of 12 to 25 members who serve elite infiltrators and strike forces. there are 20 cohorts that comprise the entirety of he military forces in Skylos, they are ranked based on skill and experience, with the 1st cohort being the deadliest and most trained, and the 20th cohort being the least experienced and trained. the cohorts respond directly to the high council and are traditionally used for defense of the cities but can occasionally be sent on scouting or raiding missions. they cannot engage in open land traditional warfare due to their lack in manpower.
Technological Level
Technologically the Aeldari are at late Renaissance levels of advancement, but their magic acuity allows for them to accomplish feat many levels above the technological level of their society. their magic is immensely advanced and refined being used for everything in their society, it is able to produce water from taps, heat things on command, warm houses without fire and even generate artificial weather.
Religion
the people of Skylos worship Siaska the star mother, who controls the stars and the stellar spaces between them. it is an old religion passed down from the first settlers from the initial crash site, the current priests and pious members of the society don't even remember why she is their primary deity.
Foreign Relations
Skylos does not have good relations to their neighbors or any other country in the Northerlands except for Etaria. this is due to their superiority complex and overall unnerving social presence of their diplomats. most choose to struggle through the trial of relations with them because of their production with superior magical items and enchanting. Skylos chooses to be allies with Etaria because of their massive food production that sustains the population of the floating cities and is necessary for the survival of their species.
Agriculture & Industry
the Skylians have entire islands dedicated to the production of resources for their kingdom. they are few and far between but they produce enough that the majority of the civilization could survive by themselves if they were cut off from external trade. these islands are extremely guarded with manpower and magic, where they to be destroyed the economy and survivability of Skylos would crumble into dust
Trade & Transport
the people of skylos conduct trade and transport using their magic driven sky ships that fly on the wind using magical crystals and enchantments which enable them to float and move above the clouds and sail on trade winds. the kingdom currently has 20 ships of the line which serve as bulk freighters and warships as well as many more small trade and security vessels. these can travel much faster than any land vehicle or sea vehicle, and enable the people of Skylos to trade with any country that has an airship dock easily.
Education
all Skylians are trained in all aspects of one trade for their entire lives by a dedicated mentor, which makes them a very specialized civilization. one child may know all aspects of magical computation while another may know everything about mathematical equations. in this way the people of skylos create a highly educated and teamwork based society where cooperation and shared expertise is required for success.
Infrastructure
Skylos is packed with infrastructure, the Aeldariu have a habit of building beautiful and intricate architecture accompanied with magic enchantments and advanced techniques. because of the islands relative small size everything has been built into and every portion of an island's landmass must be used to construct living space and housing for the growing population. the infrastructure is also incredibly advanced, commonly being infused with intricate magics and materials to make it as efficient as possible.
Voice of the Free Skies
Founding Date
P.C. 135
Type
Geopolitical, Theocracy
Capital
Alternative Names
Sky Cities, Skylers, Cloud Lords
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Recruit
Demonym
Skylian
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Theocracy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Currency
Gold By Weight
Major Exports
magic items
Major Imports
Food, Water, Fish, Metals
Legislative Body
the council of elders ensures that all members of the society receive what they require as they are put into power non officially by the support of the people that know them and know of their expertise and experience with the field that they will be regulating. there are no official elections the power of the elders comes from the familiarity between them and their different factions that in turn put trust in them to make decisions for the cities.
Judicial Body
there is no official judicial body, instead justice is carried out by the weight of voices and the actions of the people like in an anarchist society. where if a bad deed is being witnessed the people rise up to stop it from happening and to punish the perpetrators of the deed.
Location
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Comments